Eating Out at Seasonal Pantry

In an effort to get out of a night of her wifely duty, my friend Kelaine has taken up a second job. Luckily for the rest of us, that job happens to be as a server at Seasonal Pantry. I was first introduced to the work of Chef Dan O'Brien, owner and chef at Seasonal Pantry, when Kelaine gave me a batch of his seriously fantastic ice cream and gelato as a birthday gift. The girl knows my weakness! When Kelaine said that she wanted to celebrate her 29th birthday with a dinner at Supper Club at Seasonal Pantry, I fell in love with her all over again.A trip to Supper Club feels like you've been invited to a dinner party at your very cool friend's house and the Chef prepares and serves the meals from his open kitchen in the back. It is a very intimate experience, but what I loved the most was that it was exciting for both the serious food lover and for frozen dinner enthusiasts alike. It wasn't fussy and didn't require a subscription to Gourmet Magazine (RIP) to appreciate.

We started out with a beautiful fried truffle risotto ball. It was crisp on the outside and creamy, cheese-tastic goodness inside. As soon as the plate it the table, the truffle aroma filled the room and perked my taste buds to attention. This was a perfect bite and a great way to jump right into the meal.Next came cheese and crackers. Cheese: home made ricotta. Crackers: house smoked cracker. It was drizzled with pumpkin seed oil. This was a smooth, light dish that was a great way to follow the rich risotto ball.
You either love bone marrow or you've never had it before. I love it. It is a decadent treat and it has never been so decadent as it is served at Seasonal Pantry. First off, it was a smorgasbord portion. I was overcome with happiness, greed, and gluttony all at once. Glorious. The marrow was fatty goodness and the toast was perfect for spreading. There was a fresh, acidic herb salad to cut through the richness for a perfect balance.
Here's a close-up. Just to rub it in.The blue cheese souffle was light and airy, which we needed after all that fatty marrow. A very fun dish.
The highlight of the night was the brontosaurus-size rib of pork that was set before us. Mark looked like Fred Flintstone in all his glory with the massive rib in front of him and I've never seem him look so happy. The pork was utterly tender and full of flavor. The greens were in the running for best greens I've even eaten. They had a great balance of acidity to compliment the fatty pork and were perfectly tender with no hint of bitterness.
For dessert we had white sweet potato tart titan. This dish is traditionally made with apples, as a sort of apple upside-down tart. With the sweet potatoes it was more mellow and less sweet. The tart was served with hazelnut ice cream and it was the right way to end this decadent meal.
Oh and in honor of Kelaine, we also got some super fantastic chocolate milkshakes.
I feel like Supper Club is one of those really special food experiences that you should go out of our way to try if you live in DC and you love to eat amazing food. If you happen to have Kelaine as a server, tell her Corcoran Street Kitchen sent you. On second though, don't tell her with words. Just give her a big hug. She'll love it.

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